Letter To the President

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW

Washington, DC 20500

May 27, 2009

Dear Mr. President,

As I spent time with the Lord Jesus Christ today, He impressed upon me my need to uphold you in prayer. I can’t fully grasp the immensity of your role as our President. I am impressed with your keen desire to meet the needs of so many people not only in the United States but also around the world. Every time I hear you speak I sense your earnestness in this capacity.

As I was led to pray for you this morning, I was reflecting on the book of Daniel. I was especially struck with the first four chapters which speak about Daniel and his friends and the impact they had on King Nebuchadnezzar. This king had conquered their land and brought them to his homeland. He began the process of indoctrinating them with his gods and philosophies. They vowed to stay true to their God, Jehovah God. They determined to live a life that was pleasing to Him and Him alone. They did this though while honoring the king in every way they could without falling into sin. This includes the story of Shadrack, Meshack, and Abednigo in the fiery furnace. They drew specific lines that they refused to cross no matter what it might cost them.

As I think about your leadership as our president, I am drawn to think about Daniel. Daniel was a man of prayer. He prayed for his king even when he didn’t agree with him. He stood for truth but a truth that displayed the love of God. I must confess that while I believe your heart desires the best for all people, I differ with you on what that looks like. I do not believe that we can accommodate the desires of man and not pay the consequences for sin. I believe in fiscal responsibility and good stewardship. I believe that they that work, eat, and they that can but don’t go hungry. I believe that most of the problems we face in the United States related to income, taxes, health care, and most social policy come from our own greed and lust. I believe that when we try to cover the source of these issues by providing for the needs of the people that ultimately we hurt far more people than we help.

My dad always taught me that things that have value tend to cost us a lot. Despite his poor financial upbringing and continued blue collar meager financial means even unto this day, he has a fulfilled life not because of financial gain but because he is a hard working and honorable man. He comes from the old school which doesn’t believe in getting anything for nothing. He still believes in an honest days work for an honest days pay.

Reflecting back to Daniel again, I am drawn to a progression that takes place. Early in the book the king has his own desires for power and authority in mind. God, any god, is considered a tool for the use of the king to get what he wants. When he has a troubling dream he calls upon many “holy” men to help him but only Daniel can help. Daniel makes it clear that it is God not man that brings wisdom and understanding. The king acknowledges that Daniel’s God is the best god. Later the king builds a statue to elevate himself as a god. This gives us the response of true God fearing people and their devotion to truth. In Chapter 4 of Daniel the king is confronted with the truth that he acknowledges God among gods but not as his own God. God uses a severe mental illness to get the king’s attention. He sends him to the fields to live like a cow for years. Eventually the king gains understanding and regains his sanity. When he does he receives his kingdom back and finds that the God of Daniel is not a god but is the only true God. What is most interesting is that Daniel is the number two man in the kingdom during this wilderness period and he protects the kingdom for the king. What great vision Daniel had. What tremendous loyalty he had to the one that was appointed by God as his king.

I believe with all my heart that God has placed you in the position of President of the United States. I pray for you in that way. I also pray that the One True God of heaven will speak clearly to you. That you will listen and hear. That God will be able to use you profoundly in this country and the world. I am distraught to hear you say that we are not a Christian nation. While I know that we have strayed far from this original position, I also believe that there are many Christians still in this land and I confidently claim 2 Chronicles 7:14 as a promise for us. “2 Chronicles 7:14 (NIV) - 14if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”

I believe that if our leaders will begin to embrace this truth with us we will one day soon become the greatest of all nations not just in military power but also in meeting the needs of our people. I believe that our economy will again be strong. I believe that we will experience the blessings of God in ways that we can’t even imagine.

Today I prayed these verses from Psalms over you:

Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked

Or stand in the way of sinners

Or sit in the seat of scorners.

But his delight is in the law of the Lord,

And in His law he meditates day and night.

And he shall be like a tree planted by streams of water,

Which yields its fruit in its season

And whose leaf does not wither;

And whatever he does will prosper. (Psalm 1:1-3 )

I will continue to hold you up in my prayers as long as God has you as my president. I will also share with the congregation that I pastor, their responsibility to do the same. We will strive to make your presidency successful in the sight of the Lord. We will also continue to stand respectfully and lovingly against policies and decisions that are contrary to the Word of God as given in the Holy Scriptures. I pray that we spend far more time in loving agreement than in disagreement.

As a closing thought, I am including a link to a message I preached this past week. I understand the busyness of your schedule and understand that you may not have time to listen to these words. But God placed on my heart to send it to you anyway. I would be honored if you could take the half hour to listen. It is an MP3 and can be downloaded. Thank you for leading our country. May God bless you and your family and keep you safe as your serve us.

Sincerely,

Pastor Gary Russell

Edgewood Alliance Church

3168 Lillie Rd.

Jefferson, OH 44047